Mumbai: Former India cricketer VVS Laxman is set to take over as the head coach for the Indian cricket team during their white-ball tour in South Africa next month. The team is scheduled to play four T20 Internationals starting November 8, with Suryakumar Yadav as the captain.
A senior BCCI official confirmed to Cricbuzz on Monday that Laxman will act as the interim head coach for the tour. Gautam Gambhir, who recently faced his first series defeat as a head coach in the Test format against New Zealand, will not join the tour. Instead, he will prepare with the Rohit Sharma-led squad for the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, departing for Perth on November 10.
Laxman will not be alone; he’ll be joined by fellow National Cricket Academy (NCA) members from Bengaluru, such as Sairaj Bahutule, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh, who will complete the coaching team. This group also coached the Indian team in the recent Asia Emerging Cup in Oman.
The T20I series will take place in Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg on November 8, 10, 13, and 15. The Indian squad is set to depart for Durban on November 4.
